Special issue  

The orogenic processes leading to the construction of major mountain chains are of great importance for the resulting features of the crust. Accurate knowledge of these traits is significant for the human life in different ways as it will help improve the green exploitation of natural resources, minimize the damage of natural hazards, back the sustainability of urban development (including the water cycle management), and support the building of communication links.

The Variscan Belt, including the related American orogens, is one of the best known orogenic chains in the world, mainly due to its location in countries with a long research history. However, fresh data are continuously becoming available and the geotectonic models are unceasingly being refined. In the westernmost segment of the Variscan Belt in Europe (the Iberian Massif), new research outcomes are resulting in interesting proposals for the structure of this part of the chain and allowing the proposal of improved genetic models for the complete Variscan orogen.